I believe this is the last collection we’ll see on a runway in which Virgil Abloh had a hand. They didn’t cut any corners: Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Serena Williams, and Naomi Campbell — among many others — all hit the runway, and Rihanna sat front-row. It was the line’s 10th birthday, and the show was intended to fete that and also push it forward with a new high-fashion line; haute couture without the official designation. Here’s a piece of Vogue’s write-up:

Each of the 28 high fashion looks was extensively annotated, only not with the number of hours for this embroidery or that handmade veil or train, but with little backstories. Which is far more meaningful. There was an ode to his friend Sarah Jessica Parker—The Carrie B.—complete with an enormous shopping bag. There was a self-portrait—The Verg—with an oversized jacket, baseball cap, sneakers, and sunglasses. There was a never worn 2020 Met Gala dress for Kylie Jenner. And there was a more serious message, it would seem, about the health struggle Abloh kept so intensely private, in Cindy Crawford’s two handbags: one printed with MORE LIFE and another full of red and white pill capsules. The beats were provided by the DJ Jeff Mills, who, it can’t be any coincidence, is known as The Wizard (both The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz were among Alboh’s references at Louis Vuitton).

You don’t always have to love the product to understand the impact, and the reach. Abloh was taken too early, with so much left to give. Hopefully his collaborators can keep the show going.

[Photos: Imaxtree]